Brazil Will Deploy Robots To Police The World Cup

Which would be more scary? A human being police officer, or a robot? On one hand a police officer can be reasoned with and talked to, but a robot will be non-discriminative and will just follow its given orders. Both have its ups and downs, but if you’re planning on heading over to Brazil to watch the World Cup later this year, you might want to keep an eye out for robot police. This is thanks to Brazil’s government securing a $7.2 million deal with iRobot, a Bedford, Massachusetts-based company, who will be providing the government with about 30 of its PackBot robots. These robots will be stationed through 12 of Brazil’s host cities during the soccer matchers and will also contribute towards checking out any suspicious objects.

For those wondering why the PackBot sounds familiar, it is because it was used to enter to Fukushima nuclear facility as well as being used after the East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The PackBot feature a robotic propulsion system that will allow it to travel as fast as 9mph and will have built-in flippers that allows it to rotate itself and traverse over rugged terrain like rocks, rubble, and stairs. It also weighs around 40lbs and can fit into a backpack, allowing it to be transported and deployed with ease. Other features of the PackBot include a GPS system, video image display, system monitoring, an electronic compass, and temperature sensors.